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Smith Power rolls out AUSA range into Southern Africa

Smith Power Equipment’s compact revolution continues apace following the recent conclusion of an exclusive distributorship agreement with AUSA. This allows the South African importation and distribution company to offer the Spanish OEM’s full range of equipment across southern Africa.

As part of its relentless quest to build a southern African compact empire, Smith Power Equipment recently concluded a new distributorship agreement with AUSA, a leading Spanish OEM renowned for its extensive range of rough terrain dumpers, forklifts and telescopic handlers. The exclusive distribution agreement was signed in September 2017.

AUSA’s range of equipment is powered by Kubota engines

Tom Bloom, general manager for Construction Equipment at Smith Power Equipment, says AUSA’s full range of equipment fits perfectly into the local distributor’s compact strategy, and complements the existing compact solutions already in the stable, such as the Kubota mini-excavator – further confirming Smith Power’s pioneering position in the local compact market. Added to that is the fact that AUSA’s range of equipment is powered by Kubota engines, which are already distributed and supported by Smith Power locally.

Mario Torres, regional manager for Africa at AUSA, says the Spanish OEM is excited to have partnered a well-established local equipment and solutions supplier of Smith Power Equipment’s calibre. He is confident that the distributorship agreement will further boost AUSA’s business in Africa, a region which already represents 8-10% of the Spanish OEM’s global business. AUSA has had three previous distributors in the local market, but Torres believes Smith Power’s extensive footprint and dedicated compact strategy sets it apart, and will be key to further growing the brand locally.

Torres says Smith Power’s key strength is its footprint. The supplier has over 50 dealers and branches throughout South Africa. The company works closely with its dealers and branches to provide customers with product, solutions and aftersales service. The company recently expanded its footprint with the opening of a new branch in Cape Town in November last year. On March 1 this year, Smith Power also opened another branch in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.

Tom Bloom general manager for Construction Equipment at Smith Power Equipment

Wide range

Bloom is mostly excited about AUSA’s range of rough terrain forklifts which gives the company the much needed traction into challenging applications. “AUSA forklifts are versatile machines capable of handling heavy loads on rough and sloping terrain. This makes them suitable for construction, mining, agriculture and industrial applications,” explains Bloom, adding that the wide line of off-road and semi-industrial models ranges from 2,5 tonne (t) to 3,5 t.

“We have a specific focus on two rough terrain forklift models. These are the D250H (2,5 t) and the D350AHG (3,5 t). We have initially brought in the D250H and D350H models, and both units are selling nicely. We also import two Tauralifts (1.4T and 2.0T Rough Terrain Telehandlers), which have also been sold in South Africa,” adds Bloom.

AUSA is a leading name in the global dumper market and offers the most varied range in this market segment. Bloom maintains that compact wheel dumpers are replacing smaller trucks on many construction sites. Due to their compact size, they are now the preferred solution to transport material in particularly difficult terrain and where space is at a premium. The dumper, together with our Kubota compact excavators, is a perfect combination for urban construction.

The model range includes a rigid chassis dumper with a 1 500 kg payload, as well as the articulated dumpers from 2 500 to 3 500 kg. “There are 4WD, 2WD, mechanical, hydrostatic and torque converter transmissions available in combination with front loading and swivel unloading hoppers. We also have available options for self-loading shovel, backhoe and sweeper,” explains Bloom. Having initially showcased the rough terrain forklifts and the all-terrain telescopic handlers at bauma CONEXPO AFRICA, the first dumper units have since arrived in the country and made their grand debut at NAMPO 2018.

AUSA also offers one of the widest line of compact all-terrain telehandlers, with capacities from 1,4 to 2 t. “The range has two models that are highly compact, designed to work in open spaces under very extreme conditions, as well as narrow semi-enclosed spaces with difficult access. The versatility of the telescopic arm allows positioning at height, but also to the front, which makes the range ideal for handling materials on site,” concludes Bloom.